It's cold outside

[andrewducker]

First frost on the ground this morning. Well, first morning frost, it's dropped below zero overnight before but this is the first time I've left the house in the morning to see people scraping frost from their windscreens. It's also the first time that I've had to watch out for the pavement being slippery and felt chilly - my shoes are obviously summer only, I'm going to need something a tad warmer to last me through the frozen months.

Scotland isn't actually that cold - considering that it's on a similar latitude to Southern Canada the weather is decidedly balmy, largely due to the Atlantic Conveyor pushing tropical warm water northwards just off the coast. This is the reason that our winter temperature is warmer than the rest of Europe (and that Cornwall has the occasional palm tree), but it might not be around all that much longer.

The ice caps are melting. Whether for natural reasons or man-made ones (and while I, personally, tend towards mankind as the reason, the jury is still out) the temperature is rising and the icecaps are turning back into water, flowing into the seas and creating currents that flow towards the equator. These won't destroy the Atlantic Conveyor (I'm not sure that's possible), but the conveyor has several stable patterns it can fall into. If it gets pushed hard it switches out to the mid-atlantic, which is great for any chilly fish out there, but not so great for Ireland and the UK, which will suddenly find themselves a good few degrees colder.

I like the weather of the South of England, I just don't like the fact that it's basically made up of London and it's environs. Scotland's almost perfect, except that the winters are a tad too cold for me. If the temperature drops, I may have to start looking into relocating to somewhere a bit more hospitable.

Comments

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

and that Cornwall has the occasional palm tree

Are you sure about that? As I've heard that somewhere in the south of England their "palm trees" are in fact New Zealand's Cabbage Tree, which only, sort of, looks like a palm...

[andrewducker]

http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2000/12/14.html

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

http://www.rainbowgardencentre.co.nz/pages/cordyline_australis_JPG.htm

:)

But if you go from your link to Trebah House and then to their Plants of Interest you'll see they've both real palms and cabbage trees (cordylines), so I guess palms do grow there. But it looks more like a cabbage tree than a palm in the Little Crugsillick photo. Though they call cabbage trees cabbage palms anyway, so...

Wait, but, ahh!!!

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

It is both a source of pleasure and of pain to explain to people that while I *do* live in Canad and I *do* know how to ski I do not own sled dogs, mukluks, or have to shovel the drive every day. In fact, we get about three inches of snow every *other* year in my home town. Many guys wear shorts most of the year and sandals (with wool socks) all year round.

It's not Ontario! I believe my part of the world is actually a Mediterranean climate although with a boreal flora.

Cheers,

Ekatarina

[darkoshi]

which is great for any chilly fish out there

tee hee hee... :)

[kpollock.livejournal.com]

We have palm trees (or whatever) in Surrey. All over the damn palce in fact. And ring necked parakeets. Personally we have a yucca in the back garden after it outgrew the house.

There are palm trees (or whatever) on Bute, too.

Oh and you are a wuss, Mr Ducker, but we all knew that. Get some thermals or something. I'm just about happy that it's finally not almost not too warm (it looked like frost last night). I can walk for about 15 minutes before I have to take my (thin) jacket off (and non, I'm not wearing a jumper either).